Trey Yesavage's return to the mound with the Toronto Blue Jays will come on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Saturday in Texas that Yesavage is scheduled to start the series opener against Baltimore and will be available for 45-50 pitches over three innings.
The 23-year-old right-hander threw a side session in Texas on Friday, opening the door for his return to the Blue Jays as he continued to work back from knee surgery. Yesavage underwent the operation in mid-August after exiting a start against the Houston Astros on Aug. 4 before the third inning.
With Yesavage throwing his side on Friday, there was a chance that he could pitch on Sunday against the Rangers, but Schneider said the Blue Jays will instead go for a bullpen day built around Spencer Arrighetti for the finale in Arlington.
Toronto's first-round pick in 2024, Yesavage made a rehab start on Tuesday and failed to escape the first inning, allowing a pair of runs on 34 pitches.
More importantly, though, Yesavage said he felt good physically after the outing.
"Felt great, felt like nothing ever happened," he said. "It's felt good up until this point, ever since I started throwing, so I wasn't surprised but happy that it stayed the same."
As Toronto operates down the stretch with just three healthy starters, Yesavage's return could offer a potential boost to its heavily used bullpen — something the 2025 post-season star said Wednesday he was hoping to provide for his team.
"It's up to people that are higher up than me and make decisions," Yesavage told reporters. "But I think I'm ready to go and take some stress off the bullpen."
Over 18 starts and 93.2 innings for the Blue Jays this season, the six-foot-four hurler racked up 91 strikeouts while pitching to a 3.65 ERA. He began the year on the injured list after dealing with a shoulder impingement during spring training.
Meanwhile, fellow Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber threw a "solid side (session)" on Saturday, according to pitching coach Pete Walker, as he works back from right teres inflammation.
The 31-year-old right-hander threw 20 pitches and got up to 88 m.p.h. Bieber has pitched to a 4.37 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 24 walks over 55.2 innings this year after missing the start of the season with right elbow inflammation.
